Heartbeat Away
by JustOneLittleProblem
Summary: What's a girl to do when her soulmate is menaced by several billion Daleks? Why, become the Goddess of Time and exterminate the Daleks right back. Follow Rose, the Eighth Doctor, and Cass on their adventures. Sequel to In A Heartbeat.
1. Chapter 1

Hope is a dangerous thing. It wins wars and levels cities. Love is even more terrible. It is the only force(other than time) in the universe that can heal a battered spirit or piece together what hatred had destroyed. But love has a darker side, tearing down what it built up, and annihilating what it left whole.

Rose nearly laughed out loud at Cass's lemon sucking grimace. Or, one might say, _banana chewing_. Cass hated bananas. She turned to glare at Rose, and Rose hastily swallowed a bite of banana pancake. Naturally, it went down the wrong way. Rose erupted in a paroxysm of coughing, drawing a wave of concern from the Doctor. "Are you alright?"

Rose nodded, not trusting herself to speak. At last the coughing fit subsided. Rose changed the subject back to the Doctor's earlier offer. "I'd really like to see my parent's wedding."

The Doctor smiled at her with his customary mischief, but his eyes were curiously sad. "Your wish is my command, but be careful what you wish for." Cass squinted at him, as if trying to see if that was a quote.

Rose smiled at the Doctor, then reached across the table to lightly squeeze his hand. The Doctor caught her hand, kissing it softly. Rose didn't notice Cass staring at them with a painful kind of wistfulness. He released her hand, and stood up, sweeping up the plates and depositing them in the sink.

The Doctor grinned at Cass. "It's a shame you aren't fond of bananas. If you're still hungry, there's sandwiches in the fridge."

Cass got up, walking backwards and aiming her index finger at the Doctor. "One of these days I'm going to prank you."

She continued to walk backwards out of the galley. A few seconds later, there was a loud crash. The Doctor exchanged an amused glance with Rose. "I ought to be afraid of a threat followed by _that_?"

Rose winced, peering around the corner. Cass was nowhere to be found. "She's usually quite graceful."

Mental though it was, Rose could still hear the Doctor's snort. Five minutes later, the three of them gathered in the console room. There was dust in Cass's hair, and she looked slightly ruffled. The Doctor poised himself by the console, and, to Rose's great fascination, she could hear a series of calculations running through his head like a background hum.

The Doctor glanced up, smiling at Rose. "The date and time of your parent's wedding?" Rose obligingly rattled off the date and time. The Doctor grinned, and sent them tumbling through the time vortex.

Somehow, they were late. Rather an impressive feat, considering they were delivered there by a two thousand year old Time Lord in a TARDIS. Rose wore a TARDIS blue satin cocktail dress that draped to ankle length, then fanned out in a fishtail. It shimmered in the early afternoon light, and Rose loved it. She especially loved the way the Doctor looked at her.

Cass wore an ombré silk dress that resembled a sunset. It was beautiful, but Cass looked profoundly uncomfortable, fidgeting and tugging at the dress. She wore a smile that was closer to a grimace. Rose twirled in front of the mirror, then glanced back at her friend. "You okay?"

Cass seemed to be brushing invisible lint off her dress. "Just peachy. How exactly do I fit my belt and bandolier on this thing?"

Rose eyed the dress. "You don't."

Cass snorted. "Not even one concealed knife or vortex blaster?"

Rose just raised an eyebrow, reaching into her boot and pulling out a small blaster. Cass started to grin. Rose put the blaster back in her boot, and hugged her friend. Then they made their way to the console room.

The Doctor was waiting, still in the getup of leather jacket, jumper, battered slacks, and a rose-covered scarf. Rose raised an eyebrow at him. _Shouldn't you be in a tux_? The Doctor frowned, slight confusion passing over the bond. _Why exactly should I be?_ Rose gave up. "Never mind," she said aloud, some loving exasperation creeping into her tone.

Five minutes later they had been buzzed into the ceremony. They slid into their seats just in time to hear Pete Tyler finish fumbling his way through the lines to the binding ceremony. Next came the reception. They were drawing some funny looks from other people, either from the Doctor's strange attire, or from the fact that he had two women with him, at least one of whom was his soulmate.

People with more than one soulmate were not impossible, just rarer than a greyhound with three fully functional tails. Monogamy happened to be the norm. Slow music came on, the cue for the first dance. Jackie and Pete slowly twirled around the floor. They were the only ones dancing the first time, as was customary.

Then the music changed, and everyone began to pile onto the dance floor. The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand, gently pulling her onto the dance floor. Cass stood on the outskirts of the mass of people, watching them with a painfully wistful little smile curling her lips. Rose's heart ached for her friend.

The Doctor must've heard what she was thinking, because he rested his forehead against hers. Both of them relaxed, the tension slowly seeping out of them. The Doctor looked up, and his eyes narrowed. "Trouble."

It was then that Rose noted her mother's most pissy tones. "Get them OUT!"

Then another voice, desperately trying to mollify her. "If that's what you wish, Mrs. Tyler."

Rose turned around just in time to greet the security guard coming to meet them. Cass was also coming over to meet them. The poor security guard, who couldn't be much older than Rose and still bore a half finished soulmark, slunk over, looking terribly apologetic. "The invitations, please."

The Doctor obligingly pulled out the psychic paper, and held it up. The security guard nearly choked, caught between laughter and terror. Cass plucked the paper from the Doctor's hand, and read it aloud. "According to this, you're 'Rose Tyler's good friend'."

The Doctor was sputtering in shock. Cass grinned wickedly. "Don't deny it, Doc. I bet you give her the warm and fuzzies."

The Doctor finally got ahold of his considerable intellect, and looked pained. "Please don't call me 'Doc'. No comment on the rest." Ninety seconds later, they were out on the sidewalk.

The Doctor curled his fingers around Rose's fingers. To be honest, he was feeling a tad nervous. There were plenty of ways that this could go wrong. Rose must've caught a fragment of his thoughts or emotions, because she smiled at him, honey brown eyes sad. "My mum says that my father always said that he would be the one to get run over by a lorry during a Dalek invasion. And he was right."

To the left of them, Cass was acting strangely. Rose thought it was just her feeling lonely, but something else was going on. That second, the clock figuratively running in the Doctor's head ticked down to the moment when they would need to move. The Doctor glanced between his two companions. "It's time."

They stepped outside the TARDIS, and the Doctor registered several things very quickly. The first was two distinct, insistent buzzes. Fixed points. The second was Pete Tyler, with a frenzied lorry driver bearing down on him. A small family was being chased down by a Dalek. The third thing he noticed was Cass and Rose both taking off in opposite directions, running as if the hounds of hell were on their heels. "Rose! Cass!"

But the buzzing had turned into a sickly wrong feeling, one that the Doctor had only experienced a handful of times before. It was a fixed point - or in this case, two of them - unraveling. Out in the street, Pete Tyler popped upright, the lorry rolling safely past. A quivering knife stuck in precisely the right spot in the Dalek. Cass and the little family were hurrying away.

The Doctor briefly wondered where the heck Cass had gotten a Gallifreyan tachyon blade - so named because it held an edge so fine it could split a tachyon. It also happened to be one of half a dozen things that could kill a Dalek. The two groups of refugees, led by Rose and Cass, converged on him. Rose saw the Doctor's expression, and stopped cold. "Doctor, what's wrong?"

The Doctor felt a growing anger at the futility of it all. The Time War was ready to crash down on the universe, and one fit of compassion might send the universe to its demise. "Later."

The Doctor turned to the young woman who looked so much like Cass. A snippet of conversation swam up in the Doctor's memory, and the Doctor identified her as Nadia, Cass's mother. The man was James, her father. And the toddler was none other than Cass. The Doctor focused on Nadia. "Think. What were you planning on doing here?"

The Doctor noted the oversized garment bag in Nadia's hand, and the church behind them. He almost expected her answer. Nadia frowned at him, as if trying to place him. Then she decided to answer. "We're getting married. First time we've been able to afford it."

Nadia glanced over the Doctor's shoulder at the church. The Doctor smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Of course! The church! The church. Well, don't you think it's time for your wedding?"

If the reapers arrived, then an old structure would be their best chance of survival. Unfortunately, the oldest structures still standing were only about four hundred and fifty years old. Even worse, the church wouldn't stand against the Daleks, and certainly not the Time Lords if they should decide to raze the planet. And so the bizarre bevy obediently trooped up the stairs.

Try as he might, the Doctor couldn't quite block out Rose's hurt and bewilderment, nor the feeling of her gaze boring into the back of his head. Nor did he want to. The Doctor had the sinking feeling that this was as much his mistake as hers.

Once they were inside the church, the Doctor took Rose's hand, pulling her aside. His touch was gentle, but his blue eyes flashed with anger… and was that a hint of fear? Rose couldn't feel anything from the bond, and that alarmed her more than anything else. "What in the Howling were you _thinking_?" The Doctor bit off.

Rose tipped her chin up, and met his gaze squarely. She was starting to feel angry herself. "How should I know? You haven't told me anything!"

The Doctor breathed in through his nose, then began to talk. He outlined what a fixed point was, and how the universe would end if he didn't do something. Fear - for her, and so many others - leaked through the bond, washing away Rose's anger, and replacing it with a chunk of ice in the pit of her stomach. Rose hugged herself. "But they're just three people. Three ordinary people. What can they do?"

The Doctor smiled wryly. "I think," the Doctor said softly, "you'll find there is nothing quite as powerful as an ordinary person determined to make use of their time here. Ordinary people flew to the stars, started wars and ended them, and saved lives."

The Doctor was gazing at her as if he thought she could do all of those things, and more. It was an intoxicating feeling, the idea that someone else believed in you without reservation.

The Doctor abruptly drew Rose in for a hug, and kissed her hair. _I'm not going to lose her_. Rose stayed there for a long time, pretending she hadn't heard that unspoken thought. They stepped apart, and the Doctor cocked his head, listening intently. "It's starting." Outside the church, complete silence reigned, and in that silence, monsters made themselves at home.


	2. Chapter 2

Outside the church, the silence is oppressive, seeming to bend in and listen like a living thing. It seems to muffle the few sounds that do squeeze their way into reality.

A little boy cries, running for sanctuary. A broken communicator warbles its familiar song. A swirl of golden leaves blows across the street, one of a few spots of colour in a world leached of it.

Outside a lonely, desolate church in a city of ghosts, a lorry driver drove the same route over and over again, and a lone Dalek glided in the same repetitive circle.

Rose jumped as something invisible and enormous slammed repeatedly into the windows. Or maybe it was several somethings. Rose wasn't sure, but the guilt and fear mixing in the pit of her stomach were becoming a toxic brew. Rose twisted her TARDIS key on its chain. The Doctor glanced at her, ice blue eyes softening.

Then he turned around, addressing the clump of huddled, frightened people. "Treat these words as if your life depends upon them, because in any likelihood, your lives do. The creatures that you can doubtless hear are here to sterilise a wound in Time. With each paradox, they grow in strength. Another rip in the fabric of time, and they will be able to breach the walls of this church. But first things first. Let's bar the doors."

Most of the crowd darted off in all directions, but two people remained. Jackie Tyler stared hard at Rose, scrutinising her ring. Sara Corde was busy doing the same thing, and Rose inwardly winced. Cass's aunt was notoriously angry and xenophobic.

"Time Lord," Sara snarled. Then she turned to the rest of the room, pointing at the Doctor. "He's a Time Lord! For all we know, he engineered this whole incident!"

Jackie stayed silent, but she shot Sara a murderous glare. There was never any love lost between those two. Cass was shifting uncomfortably, looking like she wanted to say something. But she didn't. Rose could feel the Doctor running through possible things to say. "My soulmate made a mistake, and so did I. Mine was not telling her enough to prevent a paradox. It was not a malicious-"

 _Doctor!_ The scream came from one throat and one mind. Rose already had her vortex blaster out and aimed at Sara's head, but Sara had almost completed her lunge, knife aimed at the Doctor's throat. Rose realised with a sick sensation that she was going to be too late.

And then the Doctor _moved_. In one lithe motion, he grabbed the knife out of her hand, and stepped away. Sara Corde went down under a pile of people. Rose went over to the Doctor, gently picking up his hand and turning it over.

Reddish orange blood soaked the Doctor's hand, originating from a shallow gash. Rose released his hand, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "Let's go deal with this." The Doctor kissed the end of her nose fondly, and said, "Agreed."

Cass stood by her parents, wondering what the heck she'd gotten herself into. Nadia was busy bundling Sara to her feet. She pushed her into a pew. The women were both glaring at each other.

It kind of shattered the childhood illusions Cass had possessed, leading her to believe that her mother and aunt had loved each other. Nadia firmly patted Sara's shoulder, and said, "Stay there, and try not to murder anyone else? The three year olds are behaving better than you."

And indeed they were. Young Rose and young Cass were dashing around under the pews as if there weren't reapers beating on the windows. Cass watched her mother with her heart in her throat, trying to absorb every moment, attempting to make it part of her being. Her father, in turn, had been watching her with a puzzled expression. That expression abruptly changed to one of recognition. "You're Cass, aren't you?"

Cass tried for a nonplussed expression. "I already said my name is Cass, didn't I?"

James grinned. It was such a happy expression for a dead man walking that Cass simultaneously wanted to cry and smile back at him. "No, you're our Cass. All grown. The Doctor, he's a Time Lord. He can make stuff like that happen. Things like our own Cass saving our lives."

The pure trust in her father's expression made Cass want to cry.

 _I didn't save you. I only bought you a few hours of life,_ Cass thought. _The clock is running, and it wants you and Mom to pay the piper._

She wanted to be honest so badly it was a pain in her heart. But Cass was selfish, so she only looked out the window, and said, "I guess so."

Outside the window, a lorry driver disappeared through a wall of greenish energy, throwing up his arms to ward off a crash that would never come. And a lonely Dalek glided in endless circles, calling out a battle cry. Time was trying to heal, but first it needed to balance the scales.

Now that the ruckus with Sara had settled down, everyone was wound tighter than coiled springs. Jackie, Pete, Rose, and the Doctor had all clustered near the cherrywood pulpit. Pete stared intently at the Doctor. You could almost hear the cogs whirring in his brain. "You seemed very intent on this church. Why not any other building?"

The Doctor didn't look up from the power source he was fiddling with. "There's a certain sort of power in age. This church is probably four hundred fifty years old? That's plenty of power to repel the reapers."

Just then, the sound of a child crying could be heard outside the door. Tiny fists beat on the door. Cass and Rose both dashed for the door, then stopped in unison, pausing to glance at the Doctor. For a second Rose was afraid that the child would be a fixed point, but then the Doctor nodded.

They continued their headlong dash. As if they'd done this hundreds of times, Cass yanked opened the door, and Rose quickly reached for the kid, who she noticed in passing, was a very distraught Mickey Smith. The poor kid, still wailing, leapt on Rose, wrapping his arms around her neck. Rose turned around, approaching the clump of people.

A middle aged black woman who Rose dimly recognised as Mickey's grandmother stepped forward, a look of tightly controlled panic contorting her face. "Where's my daughter?"

Rose felt her stomach drop. Cass was the one who said something. Her tone was quiet, much unlike her usual brash, snarky tone of voice. "I'm sorry. They weren't out there, and I don't think they would leave Mickey alone."

In complete silence, tears slid down the older woman's face. Mickey began to struggle, and Rose put him down. She slumped down on a pew, and Mickey hugged her. Grandchild and grandmother wrapped around each other like melting ice cream. It was a strangely private moment.

Rose and Cass both turned away. Cass went back to her family, and Rose went back to her parents and the Doctor. Rose glanced back at Mickey's gran, and swallowed hard.

 _Don't be sorry for the dead, darling. They've got it easy. Pity the poor folks left behind. Living is brutal. Always something new around the corner to knock you down and make you hurt._

Looking at the sobbing child and distraught grandparent, Rose thought Jackie's words were truer than ever. Rose and seen death and suffering. This was no different, no less painful. Once again, she remembered the vow she'd made as child who had just witnessed the destruction of her own planet. That she would end the Time War. It was a promise made with all of an eight year old's naive determination.

The Doctor's arms came around her midsection, tucking her against him. Rose paused to bask in the safety his touch brought. Then abruptly the TARDIS key under Rose's shirt heated up, glowing incandescent gold. Wrapping her hand in the hem of her leather jacket, Rose grabbed the key and spun around to face the Doctor. She dangled the key in front of his face. "I get the feeling," Rose said quietly, "that this means something."

The Doctor beamed at her. He took the key from her hand, not seeming very bothered by the temperature. The Doctor kissed her, still beaming. "You're brilliant, Rose Marion Tyler! Of course this means something. It's the beginning of a plan."

The Doctor squeezed Rose's hand, and dashed behind the pulpit with great enthusiasm. Behind her, Rose's parents were staring at her with new eyes. The Doctor rapped his fist on the wood of the pulpit, making everyone jump and turn towards him. The Doctor grinned at them. "If I may have your attention, please. I need some variety of power source. If I can induce a loop, then I might be able to recall my TARDIS and give us a way out."

Everyone looked at each other, but no one stepped forward. Cass sighed in a resigned fashion. She pulled a small, sleek vortex blaster out of her boot, then stepped up to the pulpit. "Here," Cass said, cracking open the blaster to reveal a power pack. "Hopefully this'll work."

The Doctor smiled at her, taking the pack. "Thank you." Then he eyed her speculatively. "Just how many concealed weapons do you have?"

Cass smiled airily, picking up the useless blaster and spinning on her heel. "I ought to have _some_ secrets." Then she strolled back to her parents, seemingly without a care in the world. Rose knew better. She knew just how much it would hurt her friend when Time righted itself.

The Doctor sat, chin resting on his hands, watching the outline of the TARDIS shimmer into being, like some ghostly knockoff of a Gallifreyan timeship. In theory, getting everyone off the planet and giving Romana the green light to sterilise might work, but more likely it would not eliminate the fixed points.

There _had_ to be a better way. Then the Doctor's time senses screamed, and the Doctor whipped around in time to see the small toddler who was Rose sneaking up on her older self, intent on… something. The Doctor could sense the potential paradox a mile off. He bolted to his feet, mentally yelling a warning to older Rose.

But it was too late. The child tagged Rose, and ran off, cackling gleefully. Cass's younger self joined her in her happy circles of the church. For a long moment, the temporal pressure built. Then the dam burst. Reptilian reapers swooped through the windows. One swept through the almost-TARDIS, sucking all the power out of it in a single moment. The TARDIS key and power pack clattered to the floor, useless.

The Doctor backed up, arms outstretched and ready to shield. "Get behind me! I'm the oldest thing is this room. They might ignore you in favour of me." The humans huddled behind him.

A reaper focused on him with predatory intensity. Thinking of Rose, the Doctor moved two steps forward to meet its attack.

The reaper roared, a shivery, spine-scraping sound. _Grandstanding in a position of power,_ the Doctor thought morbidly. _It's a cheap trick, for bullies._

The reaper pounced, and the Doctor felt a sharp pain, then blackness. Somewhere in his head, Rose was screaming in terror and grief.

He wanted to reassure her that he was fine. But he couldn't. And he wasn't. And then he was nothing at all.

Rose watched in numb horror as the reaper slowly stalked the Doctor, and then swallowed him in one jerky motion reminiscent of a praying mantis. When Rose felt the Doctor's pain, that drove her into a frenzy. Screaming down the link, Rose struggled unthinkingly to get to him, not noticing Cass and Jackie restraining her.

There was one faint wash of concern and affection, and then the bond broke. Pain and terrible emptiness washed over her, and brought some semblance of rationality back to her. "Let go of me," Rose croaked.

Cass nodded, stepping back immediately. Jackie cast her a wary glance, but let her go. Rose stretched, barely noting the muscles she'd wrenched while struggling. The reapers had gone, taking the Doctor with them. Rose stuffed her grief down, straightening, and squared her shoulders.

Time enough to grieve for the Doctor later. Then she noticed Nadia, James, and Pete all milling around near the window. Rose and Cass exchanged a wordless glance, and made their way over. Rose stepped up beside her father. For a long moment, they both stared out the window, watching the lorry careen down the street, and vanish in a ripple of greenish energy. Then her father turned his head to look at her. "Your soulmate. The Doctor. He was brave, but most of all he was kind. You ought to be proud."

He took a deep breath, and looked out the window again. "Remember when I asked what kind of father I was, and you tripped over your answer? Well, I just realised. I don't have a future, not alive and certainly not as a small-time inventor. So I hope you're proud. Of me."

This only added to the tears leaking down Rose's face. "I am!" Then she hugged her dad. They stayed that way for a long moment, then they broke apart. Rose smiled tearfully at Pete, and then he went to make his goodbyes.

Rose clutched the TARDIS key in one fist, watching as her father stepped closer to the curb. At the other end of the street, two cries of "Exterminate!" and screams of pain could be heard. Cass let out a cry of despair, and ended the Dalek's misery with a single well-placed shot.

The lorry appeared at the other end of the street, hurtling toward them. Pete smiled at Rose, and stepped in front of the oncoming truck. There was a thud, and the screech of the driver hitting his brakes. There was a strange kind of peace in Pete's expression, even as he lay dying. He smiled at her, whispered, "Be brilliant." Then his eyes closed for the last time.

There was a shifting in the very fabric of the world, a little skip. And then the city was once again buzzing with life. Rose waited a few seconds, and the rest of the life went out of her. The bond didn't reconnect. The Doctor was still dead. Tears streaming down her face, Rose headed back toward the church. The TARDIS still sat on the street corner, but she wasn't a home. Not without the Doctor.

Then she did a double take. Leaning casually on the doors of the church, was a familiar chestnut haired figure with aristocratic features, a leather jacket, and battered slacks. Rose stared in disbelief, then bolted for the Doctor, laughing and crying at the same time.

She threw her arms around him, and they stayed that way for a while. Eventually they broke apart just far enough for Rose to pull the Doctor down for a tender kiss. That was when the bond chose to reconnect.

Carrying two mugs of hot cocoa with marshmallows, the Doctor knocked on Rose's door. "Come in," Rose said.

The Doctor opened the door, setting down both mugs on the desk, the one Rose was currently seated at. The Doctor sat down in the armchair by the fire, and studied Rose carefully. There were snail trails of snot and tears, and Rose's blonde hair was mussed. "Where's Cass?"

Rose smiled wanly. "She's hiding. That's how she copes. Can we talk about something, anything?"

The Doctor slowly scooted the armchair over. "Gladly. What do you want to talk about?"

Rose smiled, and this time there was real mischief in her expression. Her eyes sparkled with it. "Tell me a story."


	3. Chapter 3

In an alley in a nondescript little costal town on the northwestern continent of a equally nondescript little blue and green little planet called Izanaki, a TARDIS materialised.

However, where most TARDISes assumed a form suitable for their environment before they even reached their destination, this one materialised into the form of a blocky blue police box, the likes of which hadn't been seen in several billion years. In this alley, the TARDIS saw someone waiting, and was amused and pleased at the turn the timelines would take.

The Doctor emerged from the TARDIS, and promptly sighed in disbelief and disgust. "Not you again."

Sara Corde stood there, watching him with anger and a hint of fear. "Probably got the right TARDIS. Not sure though," she muttered.

The Doctor snorted. "Hmph. _That_ is slightly alarming. Just how many TARDISes have you been cornering and attempting to search?"

Sara completely ignored his question, more's the pity. "I want Cass back."

The Doctor sighed. He would've liked some help with this. Alas, he could hear Rose's mental snickers from in the TARDIS. No help on that front. He turned his attention back to Sara, who had her hands on her hips. "Cass is a grown woman by human standards. If she _chooses_ to stay here, then she is welcome to."

Sara let out a sound like an over-stressed vacuum cleaner choking on a hairbrush. "She won't be a part of your war!"

Remembering Romana's words, the Doctor smiled tiredly. "I might have some news for you. Now, if you don't mind, we'd like to be on our way."

The Doctor didn't like the cunning light growing in her eyes. Without another word, Sara Corde turned around and walked away. It was a poor decision to underestimate any opponent. The Doctor got the feeling that this wouldn't end well. The Doctor poked his head into the TARDIS, where Rose was relaying a play-by-play of his showdown with Cass's aunt. They were both shaking with laughter. Rose gave him a thumbs up. "Let's go."

They filed out of the TARDIS. The twin suns were just peeking over the dusky mountains, bathing everything in a golden glow. Glancing up briefly at those suns, the Doctor had an odd vision.

 _Rose's eyes, golden and glowing. And Cass sitting up, gasping_. _Rose's voice, chiming and eerie._ " _I bring life_."

The Doctor shook his head, trying to remember. But it was already fading. Out of sight, plastered across one side of the street, the words 'Bad Wolf' had served their purpose. Leading the Oncoming Storm and his Wolf inexorably toward the confrontation that would save or doom them.

Romana picked up her communicator, which was chiming softly to indicate a call. Oddly enough, there was no biodata reading associated with it. Sighing, Romana hit the accept button. There went the rest of her free time. All five minutes of it. The voice that answered wasn't speaking High Gallifreyan.

Rose knocked on the familiar robins egg blue door with its chipped and tattered paint. There was a rustling and a loud crash, and the door opened. Her mother, still in her dressing gown and slippers, stared at them in shock. She soon found the words she was searching for. "Who are- oh. I suppose if Rose finally met you, then that explains why she was at my wedding and at the death of my soulmate. Rose, I suppose the only question is of why you and Cass are traveling instead of being on that gunship."

Jackie's tone grew progressively more dangerous. Rose winced, bracing herself for the inevitable explosion. "The ship got shot down by Daleks, just over Karn. It crashed."

Jackie looked about ready to breathe fire. The situation quickly devolved from there. About ten minutes later, Jackie was calm enough not to commit any felonies. She put the kettle on, and then sat down at the kitchen table with them. Rose, who had been leaning against the Doctor's side, hastily sat up.

Jackie shot her an amused glance, and cleared her throat. "How long have you three been travelling together?"

The Doctor studied Jackie with considerably more wariness than Rose had seen him display around dangerous alien life forms. "Five weeks."

Jackie raised an eyebrow in a gesture that seemed oddly menacing. Or maybe not so oddly, Rose reflected. Then Jackie spoke. "You were at my wedding. And… you three were there when Pete died."

The Doctor winced slightly at the mention of the fiasco that had nearly wiped all of them from existence. Of course Jackie wouldn't remember most of it. The kettle whistled, saving them from the bane of true awkwardness. Jackie got up, hurrying into the kitchen. Rose could hear the clink of mugs, the slosh of water.

And a new sound wafted in: the whooshing, grinding wheeze of a TARDIS. Cass raised her eyebrows, but the Doctor only smiled reassuringly. To Rose, he said, _It's Romana_. Rose smiled back, projecting a wash of happiness his way. The Doctor smiled softly, and kissed the top of her head.

Jackie reappeared, raised her eyebrows at the distinctly snuggly pair, and set four mugs down on the tabletop. "Cass, sweetheart, I made your tea like you like it. Same goes for you, Rose. Doctor, I wasn't sure how you like your tea, so I left it black. You can add the sugar and milk."

Just then, the cupboard opened, and Romana emerged. She looked distinctly bedraggled. Romana gave Jackie a sunny smile, and fished a jar of allspice out of her complicated up-do. "Just a few words of advice, should you ever decide to build another cupboard. Ventilation and proper organisation. That should do the trick."

Romana briefly examined the jar, and set it down on the countertop. Romana was small, blonde, and graceful, with a snub nose and rosebud lips. She wore a draping white dress that Rose knew to be traditional for Time Ladies. A second later, there was the sound of heavy objects falling, and someone swearing in a way that everyone present wished it wasn't translated. Rose winced. "Poor Leela. There goes the flours."

Another thud. "And the sugar."

Romana smiled cheerfully, heading back towards the pantry. "Excuse me, I believe I need to rescue the food ingredients before my soulmate decides to start stabbing them."

Jackie shook her head, looking somewhat dazed and taken aback. Romana was a tiny force of nature, and Leela much the same. Albeit taller. Cass just grinned, and Rose could feel the Doctor's amusement seeping through the bond. The pantry door swung open again, revealing Leela and Romana. Leela was tall and lanky, and they wore hunting leathers. Those hunting leathers were currently dusted with flour and sugar, and Leela wore a further dusting of cooking supplies and a ticked off expression.

Romana leaned up for a kiss, and Leela's expression softened as they leaned down. When they both broke apart, Romana grimaced. "You taste like flour and raw sugar."

Leela grinned teasingly at her. "Your driving skills are the reason why I taste like flour."

Romana grabbed their hand, leading them to the overcrowded table. "Come on my flour-y warrior, let's go discuss some worrying statistics."

At some point, Jackie headed back into the kitchen to make more tea, after sufficient explanation of who Romana and Leela were. Leela sat cross legged on a kitchen chair, repeatedly flipping a curved dagger in their hand. Cass watched Leela with barely disguised envy.

Romana rubbed her eyes, then looked up. "I looked into what you told me; I ran an advanced life signs scan specifically tailored to Daleks. A few came out with Skarosian DNA, but none were Dalek. Not even outside the time lock."

Just then a frantic rapping came from the front door. Feeling somewhat annoyed, Rose got up and yanked the front door open. The words disappeared from her brain when she saw the sheer terror on her elderly neighbour's face. "The Daleks! They've landed, and they're coming this way! There's at least a hundred of them!"

This was slightly confusing. Rose frowned. Daleks never came in any less than the thousands, and they almost always bombed from orbit. Romana instantly appeared beside Rose. "What are they doing?"

The poor man, taken aback either by the appearance of the Lady President of Gallifrey, or by the fact that she was _wearing_ several cooking projects, began stammering. Romana smiled reassuringly. "It's okay. I won't hurt you," she said in her most soothing voice.

The man calmed, and said, "They aren't shooting. They're just moving this way, and saying hello to everyone they meet."

Romana was off like a shot. Rose bolted after her, followed by everyone else. Rose was twenty feet down the street when she encountered the lead Dalek. It was blue and silver, and had the usual sucker arm, along with a very unusual energy-cannon type thingy. Its eyestalk lowered, and it regarded Rose.

"Greetings from the Cult of Bad Wolf."


End file.
